Tues Devo: Make the choice

2 Corinthians 9:6-9 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” (NASB)

Hello,

I have this great tendency, to overthink just about everything! A decision comes in front of me and I will often find myself looking past the decision to the next 3-10 things that might occur, and then approach my decision with those hypothetical outcomes in mind. The problem here is of course that I don’t actually know the future (with the exception of the Lions will not be playing in the Super Bowl again this year). I am also aware of this – so I go through multiple sets of possible outcomes in my head – not just one. This often leaves me unsure of what decision to make, and unable to weight the decision based on the correct factors. When that happens I lose confidence in my choice and sometimes wait too long to make that choice.

When it comes to choices involving obedience to God we only hurt ourselves and doubt His ability to handle the outcomes if we go into this trap. The verses above are a great illustration of this. When we are faced with a choice of helping a little or a lot, God wants us to cheerfully respond as God prompts….then trust that His grace will take care of the outcome.

So, when you are faced with a choice of obedience to God do you fall into the over-analytical trap or do you just obey and trust God to handle the outcome?

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Created for Holiness! (Part 5 of 7)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue to explore the eternally important topic for the Christian Church today… HOLINESS!

Created for Holiness! (Part 5 of 7)

Key Distinction: Beware the Counterfeit!

Within many Charismatic and Pentecostal churches there is a practice known as “falling out in the Spirit.” This happens when a preacher prays for someone in a prayer line and that person then falls over backward under the supposed power of the Spirit. Beloved, this is neither scriptural nor what we have been discussing here in this series.

 

NOTE: NO ONE in the ENTIRE BIBLE ever fell BACKWARD under the power of the infilling Holy Spirit!

The ones who fell backward were:

 

The backslidden priest Eli, who fell backward and broke his neck upon hearing that the Ark was taken and his sons killed:

 

Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years – 1 Samuel 4:18

The unrepentant sinners of Israel fell backward:

 

But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” that they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught – Isaiah 28:13

The soldiers who arrested Jesus Christ fell backward when He said His Divine Name I AM:

 

Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground – John 18:6

None of us would want to emulate these types of "experiences" in our Christian walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

All the other examples noted in the Scriptures involve godly believers falling forward on their faces in the presence of God's heavenly Power! If you are seeing others falling backward – hardly a sign of humility – I would suggest that you question which “spirit” is doing the work and would strongly suggest that you do not partake in this activity!

 

Just to show how sad this sort of thing can be, friends have told me over the years how folks who “fell out” under the “power” in their church were not caught properly by the “catcher” behind them and actually suffered physical injury. In fact, in my past personal exposure to these movements, I too have witnessed - and experienced - much of this dangerous and unbiblical activity. 

Can this sort of tragic bungling really be the work of the Holy Spirit? I don't think so...

 

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of God’s HOLINESS!…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

What's in your hand?

2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.  4 Then theLord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.  Exodus 4

To sum up the verses briefly: God can do anything!

Do you really think that God didn't know what was in Moses' hand?  That God couldn't see Moses?  It was a rhetorical question.  We see only what's in front of us, but God sees all.  He sees all the things that are, all the things that were, and all the things that will be.  He knew that the staff would become a snake and that upon Moses grabbing the snake, it would turn into a staff again.

I love the part where it says Moses ran from the snake.  That shows two things, first, this was real!  There was no trickery where the light changed and the staff looked like a snake, there was really a snake there when there hadn't been one moments before.  The second is that Moses acted on instinct and didn't trust God.  This will continue to come up throughout the books to come.

Now to apply it to us, we will often see obstacles in front of us, and not know how to handle them.  Yet God sees the differently.  It may not be meant as an obstacle for us, but is really an opportunity for someone near to you to see how you follow God in your life.  We can't always see the entirety of what's going on in our lives, but we need to realize that God has it all in his hands.  No matter what he puts in front of us, whether it be a real snake or a figurative snake, God is still in control.  Our first instinct may be to run but we need to have the courage and faith to reach out and grab the snake when God commands.

Earned - Not Given

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  James 2:14-17 

I remember when I pledged for my college business fraternity, and I figured it would be pretty easy because it was after all, a business fraternity.  Wrong!  Obviously I just plainly ignored the word ‘fraternity.’  That would all change as I was instructed to walk through a foot of snow on campus early on a Saturday morning.  Then when I got to ‘The job interview you never wished for,’ it was clear if I ever got through it, I’d cherish the moment I joined.  Then after initiation, a truth was revealed to me.  The things that are worth the most are never given to you.  They are earned.

We earn our right to be called children of God through our actions.  Many of you are probably asking what about God’s grace?  It is given even though it is not earned, and yet it is incredibly valuable.  Furthermore, works cannot get you into Heaven anyway.  While both statements are true, it is neither in the grace given nor the deeds that have the greatest value.  The greatest value is in the relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ, and as we have learned, no enduring relationship comes about without hard work.  We will fight with God and question His judgment.  There are times we outright fail Him.  But when true transformation happens, we realize just how much love and value there is gained.  That is why I say grace is given, but a spiritually growing, on fire, boundless relationship with God has to be earned.  No short cuts.  Nothing easy.  You do not just ‘get it.’ 

Being in a relationship with Jesus Christ is awesome!  He only asks that we follow Him.  None of us have to do it, and if we simply believe He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the grave, we receive the gift of eternal life.  But a true Christ driven and purposeful life comes with the pain, sacrifice, willingness, and strength to do all you can for the one who gives us life.  What transformative change is happening in your life?  What will you do to maintain your purpose driven life?  My prayer is that we work continually on our relationship with Christ because it isn’t just given.  It is earned.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Response

Psalm 101:1-3 “I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, To You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me.” (NASB)

Hello,

Ever notice how often verses in the Bible about our commitment are preceded by statements about God? The proclamation made about walking in integrity, not setting any worthless thing in front of them, and separation from the actions of those who have fallen away is not just blindly there. If it were, there would not be a foundation for that proclamation – it would be baseless and susceptible to stopping whenever the emotions changed. But the statements in the first couple of verses lay the critical foundation. It is the recognition of the lovingkindness, justice and blameless-ness of God. Our actions and choices are responses to God.

But these choices and actions are easily stated – but not easily done. Walking in integrity is not a casual statement – it is all encompassing. Setting no worthless thing is just as much about the quantity (none) as the quality (worthless). And to not follow after those close friends who fall away – and not get drawn into what has drawn them in is challenging and takes discipline to continually evaluate your choices on the merits – not the doers.

The only thing worthy of such efforts is that which is perfect and unchanging –and that which has shown love beyond measure.

Difficult? Yup. Worth the fight? Yup.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Created for Holiness! (Part 4 of 7)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue to explore the eternally important topic for the Christian Church today… HOLINESS!

Created for Holiness! (Part 4 of 7)

King and Lord!

Jesus Christ is our Sovereign KING – He is the KING of kings and LORD of lords!

 

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS – Revelation 19:16

Throughout the Bible saints fall flat on their faces in the presence of the Angel of Jesus Christ or in His perfect presence (see Deuteronomy 9:18, Ezekiel 11:13, Matthew 2:11, Luke 5:8, 8:41; John 11:32, Revelation 5:8, 14; 19:4, etc.)!

Let me emphasize that the more I have personally entered into worship of the Almighty in my private time of devotions – the more I really understand true worship of Him! This is both incredibly humbling and is a natural consequence of being a mere creature in the Presence of an All-Holy Father God – Woe is me! 

 

Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts – Isaiah 6:5

Remember the famous verse formulated for the nation of Israel:

 

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Note the first condition – humility! Of course, this Scripture was written to the Jew’s of Old Testament Israel. However, we should take heed of this promise today. We must pray and seek His face. What does that mean exactly? It means if we really, truly seek His face, the power of the Holy Spirit will be so strong that we WILL be flat on our face before Him...

 

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of God’s HOLINESS!…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Give God Your All

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”  Exodus 3

Moses jumped ahead of himself just a little bit.  I find this interesting because the first time he speaks to God, he's volunteering himself.  "Here I am."  In the next chapter Moses explains he's slow of speech.  Now, I've heard this interpreted as a speech impediment and as someone being a slow thinker.  Either way, he doesn't seem slow (in either respect) the first time he speaks.

What happens in the middle?  Backpedaling.  Lots of backpedaling.

Do you ever volunteer for something before knowing everything that will be asked of you?  Sure, you might do it here and there, but with God, it's something different.  We're called on to trust him.  He asks a lot of us, but it's all for a reason.  Sometimes he doesn't give us the entire reason when he calls on us.  Once we agree to follow God, there's no amount of reasons or excuses that will get release us from our promise.  So when you jump in with both feet, be prepared to swim.

Remorse versus Repentance

Are you and I like Judas or Peter? Last week we saw how Peter wept bitterly over his sin. Judas was also sorry about his sin, or at least the consequences of his sin, but his remorse didn’t lead to repentance.

Matthew 27:3-5          ³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” ⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Judas was remorseful and did acknowledge his sin. He acknowledged it to himself and also to those with whom he joined in sin. He didn’t repent and turn to God, though. He tried to undo his sin and make restitution himself.
Do you and I recognize, acknowledge, and apologize for our sin?
If so, that’s a great start, but what do we do next?
How often do you and I then try to undo our sin and make our own restitution?
Instead, what sin do you and I need to take to God in full repentance, allowing Him to take over?

God promises comfort (Matthew 5:4) and refreshment (Acts 3:19) to the truly repentant, as we saw last week. He also promises to forgive, purify, redeem and provide direction for next steps.
I John 1:8-9      ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 103:2-4 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— ³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.

I pray God will help us be truly repentant and not just remorseful, allowing Him to heal and redeem us.

Alice

All Experience is Relevant

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121:7-8

I remember my first big interview for a major organization.  As such, I went to my mother to help me prepare for this opportunity.  She could sense my inner doubts, and she asked me where it came from.  My response was that I had never had experience in working with people at that level.  She simply replied, “Kent, all experience is relevant.”  Needless to say, I got the job.  Looking back on my life, there are many experiences that I questioned their importance in my spiritual development.  But even when something bad happened, I have remembered that God has been watching over me even before I was born.  Thus, there was always something relevant to God’s plan that I had to learn from those experiences.

Our life long experiences prepare us for God’s plan of the future.  The verses of Psalm 121 are a reminder of something we know but often may lose sight of.  God is always with us whether good times and bad.  We are humbled by His favor, and find joy even through our struggles.  In all situations, we learn lessons, and are revealed God’s purpose for our lives.  Thus, we are given a wonderful opportunity to grow spiritually through those experiences, and it is only through recognizing that God is both in control and watching that those experiences have relevancy.

Experience is truly the greatest teacher, and the experiences of Jesus Christ reveal our greatest lessons.  Through His life, we have victory over death, but it is worthy to note that even He had to experience death on the cross to teach us that one’s darkest hour can lead to ultimate triumph.  Remember that no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God is with you now and forevermore.  How does God’s omnipresence reassure you?  What experience can you see differently through a God-centered lens?  My prayer is that in connecting with God we remember as my mother said, “All experience is relevant.”  Amen.

Tues Devo: How to get what you want

Good Morning,

I believe I found the secret! I have discovered in Scripture how to get what we want! Now, it will take some effort; getting what you want doesn’t just happen overnight as you casually wish you had it. It takes drive and commitment to get what you want. But, if you have that drive and keep after it – it can be obtained. What happens when it is obtained? Satisfaction! The Bible promises that when we drive for it and keep going we will find it and be satisfied….and we are talking about more than just a temporary satisfaction you might get after a nice meal, or your favorite team wins the game or after you excel at work – true, deep and long lasting satisfaction. All it takes is that drive – hunger if you will – to pursue it with full commitment.

Have a blessed day,

Oh wait, I failed to actually tell you how to get what you want….sorry. All you have to do is set your sights higher than you have been setting them – change what you want to be righteousness. You see, when you want righteousness and you seek It with all your heart you will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (NASB)

So – let’s all stop trying to get what we thought we wanted, and seek full force after what can be gotten – and will lead to true satisfaction.

Will Hill